Northeast wins first Philadelphia public title since 1983

Southeastern Pennsylvania Top 10
1. LaSalle College (Wyndmoor) (10-1: Weeks rated: 11. Last Week: 1.)
2. Archbishop Wood (Warminster) (11-0: Weeks rated: 11. Last Week: 3.)
3. North Penn (Lansdale) (10-1: Weeks rated: 11. Last Week: 4.)
4. West Catholic (Philadelphia) (9-2: Weeks rated: 11. Last Week: 6.)
5. Abington (9-2: Weeks rated: 3. Last Week: 8.)
6. Council Rock South (Holland) (10-1: Weeks rated: 7. Last Week. 9.)
7. Neshaminy (Langhorne) (10-1: Weeks rated: 2. Last Week: 10.)
8. Strath Haven (Wallingford) (10-1: Weeks rated: 1. Last Week: Unrated.)
9. Pottsgrove (9-2: Weeks rated: 1. Last Week: Unrated.)
10. Northeast (Philadelphia) (8-2: Weeks rated: 1. Last Week: Unrated.)

It's been a while, actually a long while, more specifically almost three decades since Philadelphia's Northeast High won the Philadelphia Public League championship. There were usually a few teams in the way — and those teams most of the time were perennial Philadelphia Public League powerhouses Frankford or George Washington.

Not this time, however.

This time the Vikings got by mighty Washington, 13-6, to capture their first "Pub" title since 1983 and advance to Saturday's Philadelphia Class AAAA city championship game against defending PIAA Class AAAA state champion La Salle at noon at Northeast High.

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What's more amazing is how Northeast got here. The Vikings do have star defensive end/tight end Deion Barnes, but aside from the 6-4, 230-pound major Division-I recruit, this season has been a genuine testament to the enguinity of Northeast coach Chris Riley, who's had to paste and carve his lineup a number of different ways this season, starting with the most important position of all, quarterback.

The Vikings went through three sophomore quarterbacks. David Pulliam is the starter now, but he's only played in three games this season. Injuries have forced Pulliam to split time with Howard Alexander and Marc Promt.

Still, the Vikings, lacking continuity in a vital area, reached and won the championship over Washington. Lamont Davis became the sixth different Viking to throw a pass this season — and it was the most important pass of the year, when he hit Barnes with the game-winning touchdown on a fake field goal attempt on a fourth-and-two play from the 5-yard line, and less than four minutes to play.

"We have a great coaching staff and we've had a great defense the whole year," Riley said. "We haven't had to worry about defense, and our offense is starting to come along, plus we try to do some things on special teams."

And now La Salle is in the way.

"Our coaching staff is not afraid of them, and neither are the kids," Riley said. "We understand they have great tradition at La Salle. Their defensive and offensive lines are very strong, and they've been in big games. They're going to be consistent and they've been a very consistent team. I like what we can throw at them — we have great team speed. We hope to be running around them instead of through them."

Sophomore tailback Marquis Edwards has carried much of the load on offense for Northeast. Junior Shimeek Carter has been a nice complement to Edwards. Carter is a zone running back, with lighting speed. Edwards is a power back, but he is capable of breaking off a long run.

Then there is Barnes, a game-changer who's been a one-man wrecking crew. He's averaging one sack a game, and he's also been a main component offensively, with 15 catches for 200 yards — including the biggest catch for Northeast High in 27 years.

"After all these years, this has been unbelievable," said Riley, who captained the 1983 Northeast High team that won the Public League title. "We're excited about this and we're going to throw everything we got at La Salle. You're talking about the state champions here. We appreciate the challenge."

ARCHBISHOP WOOD MAKES A STRONG CASE FOR BEST IN THE STATE
Before the season, there were some respected high school football pundits in the Philadelphia area that thought Archbishop Wood could be the best team in the area, possibly even the state.

That's not just in the Class AAA classification where the Vikings play — it's the whole state. With what coach Steve Devlin not only had back, but with what was coming in with transfer Desmon Peoples from St. Joseph's Prep, Wood was looking good.

Peoples scored three touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 180 yards in Wood's 24-7 victory over Cardinal O'Hara last Saturday to win the Philadelphia Catholic League Class AAA division and advance to the Philadelphia District 12 Class AAA championship game against Dobbins at Northeast High on Friday.

Dobbins may not have much luck in stopping what seems to be an unstoppable Wood team this season. The Vikings have outscored their previous 11 opponents 416-143, averaging 37.8 points and giving up a mere 13 points a game. Wood's record also includes three shutouts and an offense that exploded for 48 points against an excellent Cardinal O'Hara defense in a critical late-season matchup.

What lies ahead are some interesting challenges, namely District 1 powers Strath Haven and Pottsgrove, and looming further down the road are the Abington Heights Comets, who have almost been as impressive as the Vikings, with an 11-0 record and outscoring their opponents 409-123.

Devlin doesn't want to get too far ahead of himself. Public League Class AAA champion Dobbins is next, and then Devlin will concern himself with the next step.

As for being the best team in the state, that kind of talk can wait, too. Wood has some rough terrain in front of it.

Joseph Santoliquito can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.